1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to image forming apparatuses, especially, image forming apparatuses including droplet discharge recording heads.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an image forming apparatus used for printers, facsimile machines, copy machines, plotters, and combined machines of these, an inkjet recording device is known as an image forming apparatus adopting a liquid discharge recording method, for example, using ink droplet discharge recording heads.
An image forming apparatus adopting a liquid discharge method may have a maintenance and recovery mechanism, which may include a cap for capping the surface of nozzles of a recording head to maintain stability of discharge from the nozzles of the recording head, to avoid ink dehydration in the nozzles, and to prevent dust from intruding into the nozzles. The maintenance and recovery mechanism may also have a wiper, also called a wiper blade, a wiping blade, a blade, etc., to wipe the surface with the nozzles of the recording head to keep them clean. The maintenance and recovery mechanism executes, for example, recovery operations such as discharging ink with increased viscosity from the nozzles into the cap, then restoring a nozzle meniscus by wiping the surface of the nozzle with the wiper.
As a conventional image forming apparatus, the one having recording heads arranged vertically is known, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4186557, or Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 09-254401.
With the image forming apparatus having the surface with nozzles of the recording head arranged vertically, it is preferable that a wiper wipe off the surface with the nozzles from top to bottom.
However, when the wiper wipes the surface with the nozzles from top to bottom, there are problems. At the lower end of the wiped surface, wiped waste liquid may go around the lower end of the recording head to accumulate, or to drop, which may stain sheets.